Spelt (Triticum spelta) is a hexaploid species of wheat that is not grown in large quantities in the U.S. or Europe compared to conventional wheat crops. While spelt has recently found a new market as a health food, it is not widely available in commercial quantities. Spelt is sometimes considered a subspecies of common wheat (T. aestivum), in which case its botanical name is considered to be Triticum aestivum subsp. spelta. While spelt resembles common wheat, the grain is a bit longer and more pointed. Spelt is planted in the fall of the year, maturing the following summer. In the U.S., spelt has been primarily grown in Ohio. The widespread commercial production of spelt has been abandoned in favor of production of more modern varieties of wheat that, in general, have a higher yield, a shorter growing season and have better resistance to disease. Spelt has been used for both human consumption and also as an animal feed.
Spelt contains approximately 15-21% protein, which is higher than conventional commercially grown wheat. It also has higher levels of complex carbohydrates, iron, potassium and the B vitamins than conventional wheat. Spelt has been reported to be easier to digest than other wheat products because of its higher solubility in water. Spelt also contains nutrients that aid in blood clotting and it is believed to stimulate the immune system. Due to spelt's high water solubility and relatively fragile gluten, the grain's vital substances can be absorbed quickly with a minimum of digestive work.
Currently, there is not a wide selection of commercially available horse feeds that horse owners may select for their animals. Horse feeds that are presently marketed in the U.S. typically contain fillers such as processed grain by-products and roughage, as well as forage products, molasses or molasses by-product, plant protein products, grain, and vegetable oils such as soybean oil. Processed grain by-products include grain remnants, empty grain hulls, brewers dried grains, distillers dried grains, corn gluten, wheat millings and wheat bran. Conventional forage products may include alfalfa meal and grass hay. Molasses is added to horse feeds primarily to improve the palatability of the feed. Molasses or by-products of molasses is often added to feed to disguise dirt and other contamination and improve the appearance of the product. Molasses that is used in feeds may be from sugar beet or cane molasses.
Roughage products referred to herein means apple products, barley hulls, beet pulp, oat hulls, peanut hulls and rice hulls. Plant protein products used in conventional feed include cottonseed meal, linseed meal, soybean meal, soybeans and yeast. The grain products used in conventional feeds are barley, corn, oats, wheat, rice and rye. In general, horse feeds are used to supplement grazing, particularly when a horse is racing or is undergoing other strenuous activity. Feed supplements such as hay, grain by-products and roughage and forage do not have high caloric value compared to grains.
In connection with prior art horse feed products, an adult horse may eat as much as approximately 12 lbs. of feed per day, which includes a substantial amount of grain by-product, roughage and sugar content. The administration of this volume of feed with high sugar content results in slower metabolic response by the horse, and the horse's liver becomes overloaded with processing of sugars. In addition, in view of the high amounts of non-nutritional by-products and roughage in conventional feeds, more volume is fed to the horse in order to achieve the proper amount of nutrients. As a result, the digestive processing of the feed is slow, which results in feed remaining in the small and large intestine for longer periods of time. When feed remains in the horse's digestive system for longer periods of time, the incidence of inflammation, colic, and chronic disease are increased. In addition, the feed in the digestive system begins to ferment.
The soy oil or other oils used in commercially available feeds is typically not cold pressed and contains detergents to increase shelf life. Commercially available feeds also contain roughage products to add to the fiber content. In addition, many commercially available feeds also contain ingredients such as mineral oil and corn oil. However, because mineral oil and corn oil are hydrogenated, horses cannot break down these types of oils.
The purpose of carbohydrates in the equine diet is to provide energy. Grains and fiber are considered complex carbohydrates and are slow to release nutritional components during the digestion process. Complex carbohydrates help slow down the release of sugar. Simple carbohydrates are quickly processed and provide immediate energy to the animal. Complex carbohydrates are processed more slowly and help to sustain energy.
The amount of food that an equine stomach can hold is related to the type of feed given. Conventional feeds typically include considerable by-product, and are provided in pellet form. These feeds are lighter and contain fewer calories per pound than a condensed feed and consequently, must be provided in larger quantities. A problem with such lighter feed is that the volume of feed that a horse can actually digest in a given time period is limited. If a horse is not able to digest the appropriate amount, then the amount of nutrition that the horse is receiving is reduced.
A horse's gastric capacity is limited, so feeding the horse frequently, 3 times per day for example, will most likely to assist and improve its digestion rate. However, many horse owners are not willing or able to feed their horses more than twice a day.